An article in the website of the The Mineral Auction says that those who want to sell mineral rights will definitely want to find out as much as they can about the process before committing to a decision. A successful sale that will earn for them maximum profit with minimum effort may be possible with help from a confident seller who is familiar with the ins and outs of a complicated, time-sensitive market.

Mineral rights refer to a landowner’s rights over whatever natural resources may be discovered on and underneath his or her land. “When an individual buys or owns a piece of land, there is the possibility that the land may contain valuable minerals and or natural resources like precious metals (for example, gold and silver), iron ore or oil. Mineral rights give ownership of these resources to the landowner, as well as the right to gain monetarily (in whole or in part) from the sale of such natural resources.” (http://www.investinganswers.com/financial-dictionary/laws-regulations/mineral-rights-3884)

For land owners in shale gas regions, earning huge amounts of cash, either instantly (by selling their property and/or mineral rights) or over a period of years (by leasing their mineral rights to giant oil-producing firms) is one of the greatest opportunities they have.

Shale gas, which is trapped inside soft, layered sedimentary rocks that have formed from merged mud or clay, is the main source of natural gas (which is used in American homes and commercial buildings) and petroleum.

The production of shale gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), has increased over the past years, allowing ‘Saudi America’ (America’s new moniker) turn into an oil-producing country from being an oil-dependent one.

Aside from the companies engaged in the extraction of oil from productive shale gas areas, the residents are the other group who will tremendously benefit from this shale boom, that is, if they are able to decide correctly on what to do with their mineral rights, whether to lease or sell these.

When selling mineral rights, a lump sum may be expected at the time of the sale. A lease, on the other hand, will not generate royalties until land yields a rich produce. This could take years since investors may not drill right away even after leasing mineral rights from the owner. In that time, the worth of a mineral estate can rise or fall. This is a very important consideration to make when weighing whether to sell or lease a mineral estate.